Normally, a protest can only be lodged when a manager believes that a playing rule has been misinterpreted. (Judgement calls, or official pitch count are non-negoatiable.)

In most cases, a protest for a rule violation after play must be announced prior to the next pitch or play. Otherwise, it is moot.

For protests that deal with ineligible players, including pitchers who have failed to meet rest requirements, these must be lodged before the umps lave the field.

However, for Little league specifically, some protests may be allowed (especially during tournament play) up to and including a point after the game. I don't have my book with me, so I cannot be more specific. And other rule books state what those associations will allow.

Now, to your local house rules. Since I do not know the details of them, I can at best speculate. But it seems that a protest of that rule "interpretation" should have been placed before the umps left the field. But I would ask the following: How many innings did you complete in the 1:54 minutes? [Someone needs to manage the game better, I think.] And what happens at 2 hours time? Does it say you are forced to quit? And if your house rules say that you must concede to backed-up games, then I suggest that you are outta luck!

I suspect that your are too late to protest. Do you have a beef with the board? Well, maybe, and maybe not! Somebody coordinated on your house procedures that says what you are supposed to do when you start backing up games. The time to have discussed that was back before the season started. By implication, all the managers should have know this one. And it sounds like playing 6 more minutes would have has as much effect as pouring a Pepsi into a blast furnance.

Thanks Mike. The local rule says no inning may start after 2 hours. By the exact reading of the rule, the game should have continued. The understanding was to be reasonable in the case of backed up games. I didn't see the wisdom in continuing since there were only 6 minutes left. I felt that was reasonable. They had already completed 5 innings.

If, at the bottom of the fifth, you han't reached the two hour mark, per your local rules you should start and finish the sixth. So a protest would be valid, if submitted before the umpires had left the field.

Someone on the field needs to be the holder of the clock, on timed games. "Close enough" should never be a consideration. The bell rings when the third out is made at the bottom of the inning, and we've started new innings with just a handful of seconds left to go in the past. Fair is fair, and when you decide to go by a clock, you need to do it right.

Tom: As to who makes up the Protest Committee, if you are talking Little League, and I believe you are, Rule *4.19(f) applies.

Quoting 4.19(f)...."A committee composed of the president, player agent, league's umpire-in-chief, and one or more other officers or directors who are not managers or umpires shall hear and resolve.......protests."

But, not without its caveat re "not managers or umpires" as explained in Reg: I(b)--

If the president serves as a manager, coach, or umpire, he/she cannot serve on the protest committe.

A player agent cannot manage, coach, or umpire in their respective divisions. If only one player agent is on the board, he/she represents ALL the divisions within the league, thus, cannot manage, coach, or umpire in any division....and can serve on the protest committee hearing protests from ALL divisions----providing compliance with the restriction as stated..

However, for example, if more than one player agent on the board,, Joe and Susie--Joe for the minor division and Susie for the majors. If Joe serves as player agent for the minors he can manage, coach, or umpire in the majors: but in doing so cannot serve on the protest committee. {No rule against having more than one player agent on the board]

Susie, in compliance with not being a manager, coach or umpire in any division, can serve on the protest committee, addressing (legal) protests filed by any division manager within her league.

*Note: 4.19(f) says nothing about a coach, but Reg: I(b) does. I believe an error of omission, in that regard, applies to 4.19(f)

Hopefully, needlless to say, all above relates to regular season play. T-All-Star play...protests, go to Williamsport.

BTW---FWIW---LL Inc., holds no truck with a league that "buries" the title of player agent, and his/her duties, with some other title when complying with at least one being titled as player agent, to comply with that mandate.... and "covering" another with a title that allows that person to manage, coach, or umpire in the division ,he/she represents. It's been known to happen locally----and corrected!

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